The Odd Couple
by Mandy2
Summary: I rated this PG because I didn't know how the storyline would go. Lily is trying to do her Transfiguration homework. Now includes the prologue! This is also a bit humorous, and should be taken lightly what am I doing?. Thankies to Sakura for different r
1. Prologue

Untitled

Disclaimer: I own the nickname J.S.R.P, the month of Lily's birthday, the plot.. And the hilarious thing James sings!

A/N: Sorry it's short..

"Get your tickets to the latest and first of the year, production of The J.S.R.P. Great Hall Performances, this Saturday at breakfast! Three Knuts per ticket, or two Sickles for season tickets! Get your tickets now! This show will feature the latest music by Mr. Sirius Black, the beautiful dance art created by Mr. Remus Lupin, set designs by Peter Pettigrew and starring the man himself, Mr. James Potter!!!" Arabella Figg was yelling at the top of her lungs. 

Every week, the J.S.R.P. or the Marauders, as they were called around school, would charm the doorway of the Great Hall to be a locked door, open only to ticket holders of their hilarious antics, usually announcing something with a music and dance number to match. Professor Dumbledore handed Arabella two Sickles, and the next was Lily Evans and the horrid Rita Skeeter, and her best friend Bertha Jorkins. Lily detested the J.S.R.P, or should I say, the J, but enjoyed their shows. She handed Arabella the two Sickles. 

Lily and the J.S.R.P had just begun their sixth year. Poor Lily was the youngest of her class, as her birthday was in May. As it was Friday, Lily had a free afternoon, which she started by buying season tickets to the J.S.R.P. 

"Evans!" She heard through the crowd. She turned. She hadn't seen the speaker, but the fan club and applauding told her who is was.

"What, Potter?" She snapped, causing several third years to glare at her.

"Want to eat lunch on the bank of the Great Lake?" He asked, in mock fear. "I need help with Charms." He smiled his innocent smile that not even Lily could say no to.

Soon, they were eating a picnic lunch while Lily lay on her stomach, propping the Charms book in front of them.

"It's just a bit of swishing your wrist a little more to the right. It says right here.. Potter?" Lily's tone changed from helpful to snappy. 

James was trying to conjure up a horned-helmet, to match his blonde wig, which was in two long braids. It matched his costume, which resembled that of an opera singer. He had a spear laying next to him. He looked up.

"Sorry, but Worm.. Peter wouldn't help. It's for Saturday's performance." He said, trying to use the puppy eyes.

"Alright, alright, but don't blame me if you fail Charms. What's this about, anyway? Obviously Sirius re-wrote an opera."

"If I told you that, I'd be betraying my oaths as an actor!" He said melodramatically. "Besides, I want you to be surprised."

"Aren't I always?" She asked, but received no answer.

The next morning, Lily woke up early and pulled on an emerald-green robe. She practically skipped out the portrait hole, and ran to the J.S.R.P. door, hoping to be early.

Apparently, so did Potter's fan club.

She pushed her way through them, and Arabella let her in. She chose a prime seat at the Gryffindor table, where J.S.R.P always performed on. She helped move the food out of the way, and grabbed a plate with toast and jelly on it.

As soon as every single fan of J.S.R.P came in, including Dumbledore, the performance began. Arabella was passing out programs, which read,

James Potter helped compose the new lyrics for this remake of some song I don't know, and he will sing them to the lucky lady he loves. Let's hope she doesn't have toast and jelly for breakfast like she normally does!

Lily pushed her plate away. It was a good thing too, for if she had been eating, she would have choked.

Sirius came out with his player piano, which he Charmed to make it extra-light, and Peter and Remus brought out the set. James Potter walked out in Renaissance style robes for _women_ and the blonde wig with pigtails with the helmet on and the spear in hand. He opened his mouth to sing: (To the tune of , well, I don't know, it was that Bum bum bum bum bum bum that Nicholas Cage was singing to himself in 'Family Man')

Lily, oh, Lily!

I don't know 

The tune to this song,

Lily, 

How you are wrong,

Dear Lily Evans,

I love you so!

Your eyes,

They sparkle bright,

Keep me awake at night,

Your hair is silk,

It's true,

Oh,

I'm in love with you!

If only you would see,

Snape's hair is slimy!

And I'm in love with you!

One more thing I've got to add,

Sirius wrote this song!

And the script that says

Denial is wrong!

So I bid you adieu,

Tell you I love you

And right now I am

Supposed to scream

'Damn!

That girl won't kiss me now!'

He finished his little song, pulled off the robe, wig and helmet, and pulled Lily out of her chair. He pulled her into a kiss, dipping her like in Tango, grabbed her around the waist, and pulled her out of the Great Hall.

"Surprised?"


	2. Midnight

The Odd Couple: Chapter One: Midnight

Disclaimer: I own almost nothing important anyway, so I'm not going to pretend all of this belongs to me either. The plot and the things you don't recognize belong to _moi_. Most of it belongs to J.K. Rowling, and some other people I'm too lazy to type about.

Lily Evans sat on her bedroom floor, writing a letter. It was about her homework assignment. It was eleven thirty, and her sister Petunia was snoring loudly, every now and then screaming "I love you, Vernon!" It was rather disturbing. Lily couldn't think. She couldn't ask her parents, who were extremely intelligent people, but didn't know this subject, it was new to them. And Petunia would just call her a freak. She could ask her friends Sirius and Remus to help, but Remus was way too often visiting his grandmother, and Sirius, she knew, was on holiday in France, probably flirting with three Parisian girls as she thought. Poor little Peter Pettigrew, he was not smart enough to help Lily with even her worst subject. Now, mind you, Lily was at the top of most every class, even her worst subject. But it wasn't that she couldn't do this simple sheet the head of her house had assigned her. It was just confusing her about something more recent.

Lily wasn't exactly like the other girls of her age. Sure, there were tons of smart girls, tons of pretty girls, but not every girl was smart, pretty and a witch in her sixth year on Christmas holiday trying to complete their Transfiguration homework. If Lily wasn't mad at him, she would have asked James Potter, head of the Transfiguration class, to help her.

There wasn't too much to hate about James Potter, even Lily, who despised him, had to admit that. He had messy, dark hair, that added charm to those soft, brown eyes. He was tall, and had glasses that made him look prestigious. Besides that, which none of the girls at Hogwarts Lily had met, cared about, he was smart, clever and witty. He was always playing pranks, and he was Quiddich captain and star player of the Gryffindor house team. What made Lily hate him so much?

On the train ride to Hogwarts, in their first year, Lily, James and his friends, Sirius and Remus, were in the prefects compartment, watching the sixth year Arthur Weasley play chess with none other than the Slytherin prefect, Lucious Malfoy. Lily had nervously selected Chocolate Frogs and Every-Flavor Beans. James, who had been talking to his friends, knew she was Muggle-born, because she had said so, when she introduced herself. He nudged Sirius and went over to buy some Chocolate Frogs himself. He gave a fake smile and whispered: "You know those frogs? They have cards with pictures of famous wizards and witches in them. And sometimes, when the frog is cursed, the pictures _move_. Just wanted to warn you." He then handed the smiling witch his money and went over to his friends, silently sniggering. 

Lily sat down and began to unwrap the frog, taking a deep breath. She took a little nibble, then looked at the card. At first, it was perfectly normal, it was a wizard named Ptolemy, but then, he sneezed. She threw up the card and the frog in fright, and ran around in circles, unable to get a complete sentence out. She upset the chess match, and James and his friends were sniggering loudly. Lily looked back on the incident with embarrassment. 

She's hated him ever since.

Not that he hasn't tried to sidetrack that hatred. Over six years, he's apologized, begged, whined, hexed and did everything he possibly could to get her attention. She ignored him, turned her nose up at him and in every way looked down on him as an idiot boy who lacked manners and poise.

And yet she was writing to him.


	3. Midnight Again

The Odd Couple: Chapter Two: Midnight Again

Disclaimer: Everyone knows I own almost nothing but the plot and who knows what else I have in store for readers of this story. Most everything belongs to J.K. Rowling.

No matter how cold it was, James had the window open. He was in his parents' new penthouse flat directly across from Big Ben. He was learning how to use his dad's new invisibility machine. Not that he needed it for himself, he had an invisibility cloak. His broomstick, on the other hand, was still as obvious as the difference between night and day. His parents had gone to the Leaky Cauldron for a meeting with the Minister of Magic. As he sat on the balcony, he watched Big Ben strike twelve. Through his telescope, James could see the stars twinkling a lot like Lily Evans's eyes. One little prank had instantly made her the president of the I Hate James Potter Club. James's best friend, Sirius Black, once said that she and Snape were probably the only members.

Speaking of Sirius, James had a postcard with a wizard photo on it, in his hand from the troublemaker, describing his adventures in Paris. The picture featured a black-haired boy with eyes that were black as well, full of mischief, that would be Sirius. But on either side of him sat two blonde French girls, dressed in pale blue robes of Beuxbatons. Chloe and Marie send kisses! He wrote, bragging about them. He signed it with a paw print, the mark he always put on his notes and letters, as if in code. James pinned the postcard to his bulletin board, and began to read the manual for his dad's invention, InvisibleMachine2000.

For small objects, the invisibility charm will last up to twenty-four hours. Small objects include- wands, quills, rolls of parchment, etc.

For medium-sized objects, the invisibility charm will last up to twelve hours. Medium-sized objects include- books, cauldrons, telescopes, etc.

For large objects, the invisibility charm will last up to six hours. Large objects include- broomsticks, pets, trunks, etc.

Warning: This is a test version only! The times stated are only the maximum amounts of time the invisibility charm will work!

Potter & Potter Co. Makers of Trouble-Making and Under-Age Wizardry Helpers!

He shoved his Silver Arrow broom into the machine. And when it popped out, he attached the InvisibleStrap his father had sent him last year. He put the broom across his back. But before James could read the writing in red, an owl arrived. It was large and tawny, and James recognized it as Lily's owl Cinnamon. Never in a million years would Lily send _him_ an owl, unless this was a Howler. But the envelope was white, with little lilies on a vine intertwining his name. "She must have taken some time to bewitch her quill to do that!" He thought. He opened the letter.

James- 

There's something you need to clarify. I was just reading our Animagi homework and you have a lot to explain. Send Cinnamon back pronto. Or you can send her back without a reply and write the Muggle way; to 6 Magnolia Crescent, Little Whinging, Surrey. I think Petunia would go nuts if you sent her a Howler, so that's what you can use Cinnamon for.

Chocolate Frogs,

Lily.

He laughed. For a prissy girl, she had a sense of humor. He hadn't decided how to respond. Should he respond by sending Petunia a Howler? Why not? He went to the study and picked the lock on his mother's desk. She had plenty of Howlers, after all, her son was James Potter. He said every possible swear word in the book and added, "That's the last time you call Lily Evans a freak!" He then closed the red envelope and tied it to Cinnamon's leg. 

He had no idea what she meant, "There's something you need to clarify." There was only one way to find out. He pulled on his Invisibility Cloak. With his wand in hand, he headed for the balcony with Lily's letter. The lights around him were dimming. He pointed his wand at the words "6 Magnolia Crescent, Little Whinging, Surrey and whispered _"Guide me_." The wand let out a light that curved every mile or two. He wrote a quick letter to his parents, pinning it onto the balcony. James took off. Off to Lily's house.


	4. Rude Awakenings, Literally

The Odd Couple: Chapter Three: Rude Awakenings, Literally

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Last time I did. The InvisibilityMachine2000, and the InvisibleStrap. And the plot. Now all I own is the plot. Dudes and dudettes who send me reviews, whether good or bad, though I haven't got any bad ones yet (forgive my modesty), know that I adore getting reviews. I freak out every time I check statistics. So thank you all. And, seller_of_dreams, Lily hates James at this point, for only one thing, but she isn't stupid to write for help and insult him.

Lily was having a wonderful dream. James Potter's Howler was screaming every swear word in the book at Petunia and finished with "And don't you ever again call Lily Evans a..."

"FREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Lily's eyes snapped open. She pulled on her bathrobe, rubbing her eyes. Her hair was a mess, and she had bags under her eyes. Knowing who Petunia was screaming at was easy. Only one person in this house went by this name. Lily.

She ran down the halls of 6 Magnolia Crescent until she reached Petunia's room and flung open the door. Petunia was on top of her bed, hopping up and down, looking at the floor like there was a rat there. All Lily could see was a small pile of ash and James Potter, smirking.

"Now, THAT'S what I call an entrance. You always have to overdo it, huh, James Potter?" Lily was now in her green top and silver jeans. Her hair was neatly parted and fell loose to her waist. The bags under her eyes were gone and Mrs. Evans was serving James a bowl of cereal and two slices of toast. James Potter was still smirking at Petunia across the kitchen table, and rules were in the Evans household, no name-calling at the table. So Petunia had to purse her lips and nibble on her pancakes.

"Yep." Said James, who began to imitate Petunia. Lily laughed. Petunia scowled. "So the Howler in my dream was real?" Lily asked. "Yep." James said, then he lowered his voice so only Lily could hear. "Dreaming about me already, Evans? Didn't think you were the fan club type." Lily realized she couldn't protest, or else she would sound extremely stupid. She, too, lowered her voice. "Remind me to slap you later." "Yep." Was all he said.

Petunia had gone to Vernon Dursley's house for the day. He was her overgrown boyfriend. It was lunchtime, and Mrs. Evans handed them a picnic basket and a blanket. "You two need some privacy to discuss whatever it is. Why are you here, James?" "Ask Lily." Unable to tell her mother, Lily took the picnic basket and the blanket in one hand and pulled James by the wrist with the other.

"You know, she has a point. What were you talking about?" James was helping her smooth the blanket down, and was unloading the picnic basket, looking at some of the fine crystal goblets that Mrs. Evans had packed. 

"I know you're an Animagus." He droppedthe goblet, his face full of shock. Mrs. Evans saw it out the window. She rushed out, cleaned it up, and rushed back in. 

A bit of uncomfortable silence, which was broken by none other than James Potter. "How do you know?" "I read the Animagi chapter for McGonagall. I'm always studying on the grounds, y'know. Once, I was felt cooped up in the Common Room. I went out, into the cool night. Near Hagrid's hut, I saw a stag, a dog and a rat. I got closer, and I remember thinking they looked familiar. But they were near Hagrid's place, so I figured they were just some of his. But reading the Animagi chapter, I know more. Who are thedog and the rat?" Lily finished with a deep sigh. "Sirius is Padfoot. I'm Prongs, and Peter is Wormtail." "And Remus? I know he's involved." "Remus is a, well, you know how he's always sick and visiting his grandmother?" "Yes. I would have asked him, but figured he would have vomited on his grandmother, or something like that." Lily was toying with another crystal goblet, giving a fake laugh. James took the goblet out of her hands and put it in the basket.

"Remus is a werewolf." 

That was the last thing Lily could remember before blacking out. The next thing that happened, at least in Lily's memory, was James lightly slapping her face. "He's a what?!?!?" Instantly popped out of her mouth. "This is a dream. My mother is lightly slapping me awake. This is a dream. You! You, you are not really here." She said, unable to contain herself.

"Okay. I'm a dream. I admit it. And since I'm a dream, I can do this." Before she blacked out again, Lily remembered only one thing. 

James Potter was kissing her.


	5. The Game Show Brain

The Odd Couple: Chapter Four: The Game Show Brain

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot. I don't know who owns "Is that your final answer?" but I do know the show and the Harry Potter stuff belong to J.K. Rowling. Thanks for the reviews, everybody! I love getting them, even the bad ones. You know why? Because you guys are so nice and write suggestions, rather than insults! Thanks again and now let's get to the story.

Lily hated when this happened. It was like she was facing one of those Muggle American game show hosts. She had formed this own little game show in her head, that gave her four choices, with this old guy asking her "Is that your final answer?" 

This time, the question was, 'What do you do when you find that James Potter is kissing you?' A. Slap him. B. Kiss back. C. Pull away, but don't do anything. D. Kiss back, and then slap him. She thought. She whispered her choice. "Is that your final answer?" The old guy said. "Final answer." She whispered.

She pulled back, but only after she allowed him to caress her neck. "What's wrong?" James asked. "Nothing. Just had an idea for a television show."

"What are you doing?" Asked that prissy little voice inside her head. "I'll tell you." Another voice snapped. "She's sitting up on a blanket, enjoying a fine combination of lunch and James Potter. About time." 'The second one's right.' Thought Lily. "Precisely! I thought we agreed: James Potter spells trouble! The only person who could hate James Harold Potter more than you would be Severus Snape!" Said the prissy voice again. "The ugly git! I'm glad she's found a guy just to kiss and not date!" Snapped the sassy voice. "Who says she won't date him, marry him, and have his kid?" Said the voice of her Aunt Iris. "Get out of my head! All of you!!!!" Lily screeched.

"What?" Asked James, obviously confused.

A/N: Sorry it was so short.. Fourth upload today!


	6. Big Trouble and the Return to Hogwarts

The Odd Couple: Chapter Five: I Can't Think of A Title

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. Must we go through this again?

"How are you going to get back?" Lily asked. Pulling away from James was very hard to do, no matter how much she thought she hated him. At first, he smiled from their kiss. But then, he smirked. "Well? You certainly can't go the way you came! And using your dad's InvisibilityMachine! You are going to get in sooo much trouble... And I don't appreciate.." She was stopped suddenly by James kissing her again.

He pulled his wand out. "Mrs. Evans?" He called. Mrs. Evans stuck her head out the open kitchen window. "Yes, James?" "Can you bring me my broom?" He asked, putting on his innocent face. "Of course, dear." She brought out the broom. Attached to the InvisibleStrap was the Invisibility Cloak. He took some sandwiches and stuffed them in his mouth. "Thanks, Mrs. Evans, for the sandwiches." His voice was muffled. 

He stuck his wand out. All of a sudden, a horrible, huge, purple bus came into view. A young wizard named Ernie (A/N: I decided that Ernie was once conductor, pimply like his follower, Stan) began his formal speech, but seeing who it was, he dropped it. "Eh, it's you Jim, what didja do now?" 

"Nothing, Ernie. How much would it be to get to London?" "'leven Sickles, as always! Yeh should know, yeh've been in the area before, 'cept yeh were more towards a window 'round this place, eh?" He said, causing James to blush. He beckoned for Lily to come closer. "I thinks the young gentl'man likes yeh, li'l lady. Come on, now Jim. We gots to get to yehr parents' place."

Blushing again, James got on board the huge bus and wave merrily goodbye to Mrs. Evans and Lily. "See you at school, Lily! Lovely meeting you and you family, Mrs. Evans!" 

"Lily, dear, that charming young man should visit again." Said Mrs. Evans, looking at a confused Lily. And all of a sudden Lily realized she was falling madly in love with him. And Sirius was going to have his Christmas present late.

~~~~~~~~~Back at Hogwarts~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You kissed JAMES!!!!!!!" Was Sirius's short and shocked greeting. "Correction. James kissed me, Sirius and I believe you wouldn't be one to talk about the kissing game. I believe you were in Paris, the city of lights and of love?" Lily snapped. "You kissed JAMES!!!!" He said again, more shocked than before. "You kissed James?" Remus asked, suddenly appearing out of nowhere."She kissed who?" Asked Peter, who also joined them. By this time, they had reached the Great Hall. It was New Year's Eve, and the Hogwarts Express had arrived just in time for dinner. "Lily kissed JAMES!!!!!" Sirius yelled, and every head turned. "If I have to say this again, I will bite your head off and spit it out into Filch's office! James kissed me!!!" Lily bellowed, before storming off. She stopped at the entrance of the Great Hall, and turned on one heel. Everyone in the Great Hall took a deep breath in unison, and she was able to whisper and be heard. "And how did you know?" Everyone in the Great Hall looked like they were about to burst. 

"I didn't. I just guessed." Sirius said, smirking. She stormed off again, while the entire Hall was nearly doubled up in laughter.

Bertha Jorkins, a ditzy girl full of gossip, was in Lily's dormitory and was jabbering about how Sirius had spread to the entire student body that Lily had allowed a tad more than a kiss. Lily was flabbergasted. "If I ever, ever, EVER get my hands on that James Potter and his stupid little friend..." She began, before she was rudely interrupted by Bertha. "But Sirius only started a rumor!" "Who would have he gotten his information from, huh? Sirius is clever, but he isn't stupid enough to come up with something entirely untrue." Bertha looked like she had gotten an early birthday present.

The next morning everyone was back, and Lily was having a hard time getting to her classes. The girls threw her looks of loathing. The boys all asked: "How about a date, Evans? Heard you give out a lot more than a good night kiss." Lily didn't know how she survived until lunch until she realized: She hadn't met any Slytherins yet.

"Jamsie boy, what on earth were you thinking? Going to Lily's house in the middle of winter, having a romantic picnic and not telling her you were going to kiss her??? And not telling us??" Sirius was bouncing around the corridors, heading towards Transfiguration with James, Remus and Peter. 

"Sirius, would you just shut up?" James snapped. "Why, Jamsie boy? Don't you want to know she's got the hots for you? Huh, Jamsie boy?" Now Sirius was pretending to drop books on Peter's head.

"She knows." 

"Ow!" Peter said, because this time Sirius did drop books on Peter's head. "And if you don't stop teasing her, she might tell McGonagall." "Prongs, did you tell her?" Remus asked, in a tone way to serious for a boy of sixteen. "No. She had seen us way back. When we first did it. She had thought they were just Hagrid's creatures. But the essay we had to write for McGonagall on Animagi..." "I knew I forgot something!" "Shush, Sirius. She wanted me to explain, and I lost control."

"You lost control???? You lost control???? In the past six years, you could have 'lost control' on any girl, but you choose the one who knows about us?? You idiot!" They were almost at the Transfiguration classroom. 

"You know, for once in his life, Padfoot's right." "Hey!" Remus continued. "You and Padfoot better squash those rumors before Lily gets really mad."

The other three agreed. Peter looked at his watch. "We're early. Let's get good seats before the Slytherins ruin the atmosphere. I'd rather sit up front than look at Snape and vomit my lunch." 

They walked in, got two tables near Professor McGonagall's desk, and there she was, talking to McGonagall. Professor McGonagall looked mad, and she glared at Sirius, who was trying to finish his essay. Soon the Slytherins walked in, and the only seat left for Lily was next to Snape.

James was never nervous during Transfiguration. At least not until now. It was his best subject, after all. But when Professor McGonagall was glaring at the four of them, and hearing Lily laugh, he turned. There she was, next to his enemy, laughing. Having fun. They had already transfigured their raccoons, so McGonagall didn't mind. James couldn't stand it.

After class, he pulled Lily by the arm toward the Astronomy tower. "Look! There they go! Evans and Potter, sitting in a tree..." Screeched the Slytherins, all laughing in unison. Even Sirius had joined in, and Remus was trying not to smile.

"What did you tell McGonagall, Evans?" "Oh is it Evans now? I thought it was James Potter's girlfriend!" She spat. "You know I didn't start those rumors, and just because everyone's believing them don't mean they're true. You and I both know what happened, that's why it shouldn't bother you." 

"Potter! Get Mr. Black and come up to the Headmaster's office. We have something to discuss with the two of you!" Professor McGonagall's voice boomed through the tower. 

That's the end for you people!I love getting reviews! Remember that! 'Ello: This is new: There are two series that are spin-offs of this.. Diary and Diary.. Read the summaries to figure out which is before and which is after.


	7. Dumbledore's Office

The Odd Couple: Chapter Six: What Happened in Dumbledore's Office

Disclaimer: I own the plot, nothing else.

A/N: Thanks for everyone who voted! Odd Couple will make more appearances, but I'll still continue Harry's Fifth Year. I have a bit of writer's block with that, so please write suggestions! Thanks a lot and I'm sorry I confused people with the quotations! Here it comes!

"PADFOOT!!!!" James roared across the Great Hall. Heads turned, as they always did with James and his friends around. Sirius came running over. "What's wrong, Jamsie boy? Girlfriend break up with you?" The Hall roared with laughter, as it always did when Sirius made a stupid joke. The grin spreading across his face was disgusting. "We're expected in Dumbledore's office."

Over the six years that James and Sirius had played pranks, they had never done anything too serious to be sent to Dumbledore's office. Normally after their pranks, Dumbledore would try not to laugh at some of his students covered in whatever substance Sirius had found. But this must have been serious. Either he knew or, well, James didn't want to think about that.

They met Professor McGonagall outside her office and she lead them to an area not even James had sneaked off to. "Honeydukes." She said, and a gargoyle leapt aside, and she led them up the stairs to a circulatory room. Dumbledore was trying to put a New Year's bauble on a phoenix and obviously it wasn't too pleased.

"You may leave, Minerva. And please inform the house elves to send some water up for Fawkes." He said gravely. "Sit, Mr. Potter, Mr. Black." They sat.

"Now I understand that Miss Evans is having a bit of a problem, involving some rumor that you two began." James silently sighed with relief. It was just that. Dumbledore had no idea about the Animagi or anything. Just the silly rumor. 

"First off, Mr. Black, you will squash the rumors, immediately." Sirius gave a salute. "You may leave, Mr. Black. I need to talk to Mr. Potter alone."

"James, how long have I known you?" Dumbledore's playful eyes were suddenly dead serious when he asked that question. "Almost my whole life, sir." James responded, squirming in his seat. "And I know basically who is on and off your list who to play pranks on and who to spread rumors about. But I think that you should cross Miss Evans off that list immediately. She will be someone special to you, James. And rumors and pranks aren't the ways to get her. I also know you go through a girlfriend a week." At this, James blushed scarlet, and tried to stutter "Well, maybe not a week, a month maybe, but.." "That is not the point. You have to apologize to Lily and tell her you love her." "Love her???" James asked, suddenly not being nervous, but anxious. 

"Whether you know it or not James, you love Lily and you need to tell and prove it to her before she slips through your fingers. She too, can have any person she chooses. Let's just hope it's you."

"James, you are dismissed. I'm sure Mr. Black is spreading some rumor about Bertha Jorkins and Severus Snape at the moment. You may go to your Tower. I don't think you want to think about Lily in your Divination class. Here, I'll write you a note." Dumbledore scribbled something on a piece of parchment and handed it to James. James took it with a shaking hand, and said only two words.

"Thank you."

Instead of heading for Gryffindor Tower, however, James walked toward the Great Lake. On the bank, he stared across the grounds, thinking with a misty look in his eyes. Come to think of it, Lily _was_ special, and it didn't take a genius to figure it out. He loved her laugh, he loved her smile, he loved her when she was snapping at Sirius, when she was dancing at the Yule Ball, even if it was with Remus instead of him. He loved the way she always looked like she knew something about him and she might tell. He loved everything about her.. Everything.

A booming voice interrupted his thoughts.

"POTTER!" Someone screeched.

"Professor McGonagall, I have a note from Dumbledore, it's alright..." James said absentmindedly, not looking up. 

"Potter, if I was McGonagall, I wouldn't be out _here_, would I? She has a Transfiguration lesson with the Slytherins." Said an oddly familiar voice.

"Lily!" James got up and spun around, and pulled her close to him, gently holding her head in his chest. "Lily, I'm so sorry, I should have stopped those stupid rumors about you that Padfoot started." He kissed her shining hair. "And Dumbledore is right. You're not someone I want to lose. Come with me." He pushed her off his chest and grabbed her wrist. 

Minutes later, they were in front of the Common Room fire. 

"Lily, only one thing in this world matters so much that it made me think about everything I've ever done. Everything, from when I used my dad's wand to poke slugs with Sirius, to when I got my first kiss, to last year's Yule Ball, to this past weekend. Lily, you mean the world to me, and I'm not going to let you go as easily as I had with the others. You are my everything. I love you." 

"AWWWWWWW!" 

James Potter didn't realize that the entire Gryffindor house, including Professor McGonagall, was behind the sofa he had been sitting on with Lily. 

"Well?" Sirius asked impatiently. "Aren't you going to kiss her?"

He did. For a long time.

"I love this feeling." Lily thought. "His arms wrapped around my waist, my arms around his neck, his lips touching mine, oh the humanity! The entire house is out here. Oh well, as long as I have my Prongs."

The guys were cat-calling. Bertha Jorkins asked "Aren't you coming up for air???" 

Slowly, the two pulled apart. Professor McGonagall was dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. "Potter, Evans, this was the most unlikely thing that has ever happened. I, I, I just, I just don't believe it!" Bertha had to pat her shoulder comfortingly.

Out of nowhere, Sirius had a Gryffindor banner draped across them. Remus had used his wand to conjure a paste crown and a paste tiara with Gryffindor Lions on them. Bertha ceremoniously crowned them. And Peter announced them... (Drumroll please!)

The Odd Couple.


End file.
